Patriots Mailbag: Mike Wallace & the Need for Speed

Welcome Bleacher Creatures to the second, and now weekly, installment of Patriots Mailbag.

Ninety-one percent of you were interested in reading and/or participating in future editions of this piece and I'd absolutely love to keep publishing this for you guys, but I'm going to need some of that participation element moving forward.

So send your questions throughout the week to [e-mail] or feel free to contact me via Bleacher Report or The Facebook. I can be reached through just about any platform imaginable.  

Now that that's out of the way, lets begin...

Alex Hall, Dallas Cowboys Featured Columnist, asks: How likely are the New England Patriots to trade their first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Wallace? 

I've argued all along that Pittsburgh is the most likely destination for Mike Wallace. They're currently trying to pinch every penny possible in order to fit him under the 2012 salary cap.

When a team invests a third-rounder and three years of development into a player and they get the type of production that Wallace has posted, it would only make sense for that team to try and retain that players' services if at all possible. 

I would view the decision to expose Wallace to other teams as very risky, especially if it's only for a first-round tender. Even if that did occur, I don't see the Patriots as major players in that derby.

Wallace is cost-prohibitive just like DeSean Jackson, Vincent Jackson etc. 

Joe B. Asks: Why does it seem that almost everyone wants the Patriots to pick up a speedy wide receiver in the draft? I mean I understand talent is talent, but I don’t see it as an absolutely necessary asset.

The need for speed that most New Englanders seem to experience every offseason stems from the record setting 2007 season. No one has forgotten just how much the team accomplished that year, but a number of people often forget how unexpected those accomplishments were.

Moss was brought in at the lowest point of his career for just a fourth-rounder and it seemed the Patriots were the only franchise with enough sense to know he still had something left in the tank. Moss wasn't the only addition though.

It was the first time the team had gone "all in"  for Brady and loaded him up with receiving options not named Reche Caldwell (Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth). 

The results of that season have burned images of unattainable success into the minds of Pats fans and that leads to calls for players they feel can fill that void.

New England has lost just five regular season games over the last two seasons and to suggest that they absolutely need a type of player in order to achieve success would be to blatantly ignore that fact. 

This franchise has proven capable of winning with little to nothing sometimes, it's success very rarely depends on one player or one type of player. 

Joe B. Asks: In all honesty, I get a kick out of folks who want Randy Moss back. Sometimes I think I must be the only one who remembers all the times Moss practically stopped to wait for Tom Brady's deep passes. And even though Randy would make great jump ball catches, one gets the sense that it was a bit excessive.

Oh, you're not the only one, Joe.

I can see it now, Moss jumps up just a half second before the DB, pushes off, of course, receives no flag and goes up to use his arm length to his advantage. That exact scene played out countless times during his stretch of time here.

He got away with it for awhile, but eventually, opposing defenses were able to counter his body moves and realized he was doing it because he could no longer attain actual separation.

Moss could be easily jammed at the line and refused to run across the middle. He began taking plays off and wasn't running his routes correctly or with full effort. His blocking attempts were atrocious, absolutely inexcusable.

This time period was the prime of Wes Welker's physical ability (pre-surgery, pre-30th birthday) and they used to runs screen plays with him like it was his job. Moss would almost never help the team take advantage by blocking, just imagine what Rob Gronkowski could have accomplished in that role. 

The Randy Moss ship has sailed in New England and for good reason.

Joe B. Asks: I'm thinking that it could take a draft pick anywhere from two to three years to become as good as Moss or his equal in value to the Patriots offense. Any thoughts on the length of time it could take to see production out of a draft pick?

Based on the Patriots past success, or complete lack thereof, in drafting wideouts, I would agree it's likely to take a few years before the jury is out on the pick. Because of this likelihood, I'd like to see team look to free agency to find a stop gap not named Chad Ochocinco or Deion Branch.

I wouldn't mind seeing one of the two return, but I don't want both. I'd like Slater categorized as a special teams player so as not to count against the depth restrictions at receiver. 

So in the end I'm really hoping for the depth chart to come along something like this:

1. Welker

2. Ochocinco/Branch

3. Veteran Free Agent—Preferably of the Reggie Wayne, Brandon Lloyd, Pierre Garcon variety, a proven player with gas in the tank that isn't going to break the bank.

4. Draft selection—Preferably one of the first few rounds variety, someone who can get on the field as a rookie as a return man would be fantastic.

5. Edelman—If he can fit on the roster, at this stage, I don't think it looks great for him. Unless he can contribute in some fashion or unless the team views him as necessary insurance for Welker, I'm not sure they'll keep him.  

Joe B. Asks: The Patriots running game seemed to take a step back in 2011. I think a great fullback could really change the dynamic of the offense, do you agree? 

To that point, the Patriots actually did bring in a pretty dang good full back late in the year named Lousaka Polite. He was used sparingly, but helped to convert some touchdown runs.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis still ran for 11 touchdowns this year and the team ranked respectably in scoring despite not earning much yardage, so the running game was there in some respects. 

There wasn't a whole lot of production yardage-wise, but I loved what I saw out of Stevan Ridley. My man crush became official when I watched him make a back-juke in the preseason. Probably played it over 10 times in a row because I was so stunned. 

New England wants to bring him and Shane Vereen along slowly though and I feel comfortable projecting 2012 as a breakout year for at least one of them. I like the long-term prospects of Vereen, his pass-catching ability could help him fill the void of Kevin Faulk and maybe he can push Danny Woodhead for snaps down the line.

It'll be interesting to see what Bill Belichick decides to do with the fullback position going forward. It's been a position largely ignored by the team since Heath Evans departed, but there's definitely some value in having a skilled run blocker, especially for a pounder like Ridley. 

Interested in reading more by this Featured Columnist? Check out more of Aaron Dodge's work on Bleacher Report.

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